Trump Takes Credit for ICE Airport Deployment, Makes Bizarre Paper Clip Comparison
President Donald Trump boasted on Monday about deploying U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to airport security checkpoints, claiming the concept was as ingenious as the "discovery" of paper clips. The remarks came during a media briefing before he boarded Air Force One, where Trump quickly attributed the plan to himself.
Claiming Ownership of the Airport Staffing Strategy
Amid the partial government shutdown, Transportation Security Administration agents have been working without pay, leading to increased resignations and sick calls, which in turn has caused growing traveler frustration due to longer wait times. Trump stated, "That was mine," referring to the idea of supplementing airport staffing with ICE personnel. He indicated that the suggestion originated from a Fox News caller late last week.
Trump then ventured into an unusual analogy, saying, "That was like the paper clip. You know the story of the paper clip? 182 years ago, a man discovered the paper clip. It was so simple. And everybody that looked at it said, 'Why didn't I think of that?' ICE was my idea." This statement was captured in a tweet by journalist Aaron Rupar, highlighting the president's assertion.
Historical Inaccuracies in Trump's Paper Clip Narrative
Trump's claims about the paper clip's invention are largely incorrect, and his estimates have varied significantly over time. According to EarlyOfficeMuseum.com, the first bent-wire paper clip was patented by Samuel B. Fay in 1867, which is 159 years ago from the present context. The iconic "Gem" paper clip design, commonly found in office supply stores today and never patented in the U.S., emerged around 1892, approximately 134 years ago.
In previous remarks, Trump has made other inaccurate statements about the paper clip's history. At a White House event last year, he claimed that someone became a "very rich person" after inventing the paper clip in 1817, over two centuries ago. Additionally, during a 2024 rally, he asserted that someone "came up with a paper clip" roughly 129 years prior. While this latter claim has some basis—the "utility paper clip" was patented that year—it refers to a more obscure design compared to the earlier "Gem" version.
The deployment of ICE officers to airports is part of broader efforts to address staffing shortages during the government shutdown, but Trump's comparison to the paper clip has drawn attention for its oddity and factual inaccuracies. This incident underscores the president's tendency to make hyperbolic statements while taking credit for initiatives, often with questionable historical references.
